Welcome Back

August 30, 2019

As summer draws to an end, we would like to welcome you to the 2019-2020 school year.

I’d like to express my hope that you have had time for some relaxation and re-charging this summer. But, most importantly, I hope you were able to enjoy the summer with your child(ren), family and friends.

I am delighted to embark upon year four of my principalship with the Pulaski community- teachers, staff, and the students we serve. We appreciate the role that you the parents continue to play in making our school a success. As an International Baccalaureate school, we strive to develop our students as globally minded, well-rounded citizens. We value your commitment, energy, dedication and positive support to see that this vision is met. We will continue to work on strengthening our school family. This begins with:

building relationships and creating a sense of belonging,

ensuring that all students make academic and social emotional growth,

creating experiences where students engage in solving authentic real world challenging problems.

This will always be our main focus.

This summer has been extremely busy, we’ve had some teachers who’ve decided to go on different paths in their lives. Pulaski has such a dedicated staff and a team was formed to assist with interviewing and recruiting the very best candidates for staff vacancies. The custodial staff have been working really hard to thoroughly clean and prepare both buildings. Teachers have begun preparing their classrooms for an inviting welcome on September 3rd. I don’t want to forget how greatly we appreciate parents who are on several committees also beginning to gear up to welcome families, provide volunteer opportunities, and offer other exciting events and programs. Please visit Friends of Pulaski website friendsofpulaski.org for immediate volunteer opportunities. We can’t do this work without you!

Staffing Announcements:

Each year brings positive change along with an opportunity to start anew. This includes a few additions to our staff as well as a few teachers who have decided to move on. We extend a heartfelt farewell and good luck to all the teachers who will no longer teach at Pulaski.

We are delighted to welcome the following new teachers to our Pulaski family. Ms. Keen – 1st grade, room 013; Ms. Ward – 2nd grade, room 014; Ms. Freedman – 3rd grade bilingual, room 208; Ms. Jonas – 3rd grade gifted bilingual, room 204; Ms. Abdallah – 6th grade science and reading, room 306; Special Education teachers Ms. Gilson, Ms. Grober and Ms. Hirsh. We are still in the process of searching for a 4th grade teacher. Ms. Sanchez, our IB Coordinator and former classroom teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience will be assigned to 4th grade, room 211 until a teacher is hired. Last but certainly not least, I would like to introduce Ms. Crystal Rodriguez, Pulaski’s Assistant Principal. They each bring passion and unique experiences to the teaching field and leadership. We are thrilled that they will be joining our Pulaski family. Welcome messages and biographies with be shared with their students’ parents on day one. This information will also be updated our website.

Safety Update:

Nothing is more important to Chicago Public Schools than the safety and wellbeing of our students. Parents and families entrust us to educate and safeguard their children, and that trust is sacred. To ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep our students safe, CPS has partnered with the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC) to create a comprehensive training which includes protecting Chicago students to help staff prevent, recognize, and respond to abuse. I would like to report that all of Pulaski’s staff members including the custodians and recess/lunch monitors have completed the training.

Please be patient the first week of school. With the hustle and bustle of bus and car traffic we ask that you follow all directions from the security guards. These include the following rules,

Stay BEHIND barricades.

ONLY park legally. Illegal parking, such as blocking crosswalks, fire hydrants or double parking will result in tickets.

ONLY drive in the directions of the arrows on one way streets. Backing up on a one way street is also a ticketable offense.

Help us keep your children safe! We all strive to ensure Pulaski is a safe space, however we must remember that it takes all of us to keep it safe.

Please follow these simple rules when entering or exiting the school buildings:

ALWAYS stop at the security desk or go to the main office, sign in, present identification if necessary, and obtain a pass before walking in the halls or visiting classrooms.

Parents and visitors should only use the main front doors when entering the building.

Parents and visitors should avoid any use of side doors. Signs will be posted to remind you.

Pre-K school parents must wait in the auditorium prior to drop off or pick up. Having parents in the hallway makes it difficult for us to dismiss the students from school. Enter and Exit from the main door unless you have a stroller.

If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher you must have an appointment. You can email them or visit the main office to leave a message with the clerk or to complete a request to Meet with Teacher form.

Outside and inside security drills will be held throughout the year to help ensure the safety of our students. We realize that these security procedures may be somewhat inconvenient for parents, students, and staff. However, it is necessary for us to take these special precautions to protect our children.

I would like to share a few important dates to remember:

Friends of Pulaski Boo-hoo Yahoo Kinder Parent Breakfast will be Sept 3rd at 9:30am in the Modular building lunchroom